Chapter 26: The Deal in the Imperial Capital

  "Who's there?" A man's voice came from the second floor.

  "Lao Cai, little brother, you two sit down first, I'll go make tea for you!" Zhou Ruoying shouted upstairs and then turned to Lao Cai and Xiao Ye to apologize before going to make tea.

  "It's okay, big sister!" Xiao Yu said hastily when he saw Zhou Ruoying about to make tea.

  "Whatever! You guys sit down first!" Zhou Ruo Ying didn't even turn her head.

  As the sound came from upstairs, a man in his 40s with a gentle and elegant demeanor appeared on the second floor platform. He was wearing casual home clothes that were very suitable for him. Although Xiao Yu never wore any famous brands, he could still tell that this set of clothes was made with excellent craftsmanship, definitely not something that mass-market brands would have.

  "Isn't this Old Cai? We're all family, what kind of noble guest is he?" The man saw that it was Old Cai and slowly walked down the stairs, making a joke. Although the man said that Old Cai wasn't a noble guest, his warm smile made people feel not uncomfortable at all, but rather gave them a very familiar feeling.

  "Haha, got it, Boss Song! I'm not a noble guest, I'm an evil guest now! We're evil guests arriving at your doorstep, so you'd better treat us to dinner today!" Mr. Cai said jokingly, and it seems like the two are quite familiar with each other.

  "No problem, let's go to Jing Cheng restaurant at noon today, and you can order abalone and lobster as you like." The man said generously, then turned his head towards Xiao Yu.

  "Mr. Song, this is Xiao Ye, the younger brother of Xiao Yu, the owner of the golden sandalwood box."

  "Little brother, this is Boss Song, Song Hushan. This time, it's because Boss Song wants to buy a golden nanmu box."

  Cai Laoshi saw Song Hu Shan look at Xiao Yu and hastily introduced them.

  When he went downstairs, Song Hushan saw Xiao Ye and had also heard Old Cai mention him - the doctor from the Deep Sea Antique City's infirmary who picked up a golden sandalwood box. At first, he thought Xiao Ye was just a lucky kid, but when he saw Xiao Ye come to his place with an air of calmness and composure, Song Hushan couldn't help but feel a little curious about him. To know that even Old Cai, who had experience, was surprised the first time he came here.

  "Hello, Mr. Song!" Xiao Yu said lightly, extending one hand after hearing Cai Laoshi's introduction.

  Xiao Yu, although born into a commoner family, due to his maternal grandfather's and mother's teachings, has always been neither arrogant nor servile. Perhaps in this society there are class distinctions, but on Xiao Yu's body at present, that is absolutely not visible.

  "Old Cai, Xiao brothers, sit down quickly!" Song Hu Shan saw Xiao Ye being so calm and became even more curious about him. Normally, people worth hundreds of millions would be nervous when shaking hands with him. Song Hu Shan also stretched out his hand to shake hands with Xiao Ye and smiled as he spoke. Although Song Hu Shan's smile was very friendly and his words were extremely polite, Xiao Ye felt a hint of arrogance from his eyes, an arrogance that seemed to be innate and unintentionally revealed.

  When Mr. Cai came here for the first time, he was also slightly shocked by the furnishings here, but seeing Xiao Yu's calm and composed appearance, he didn't show any surprise at all because of everything here. He couldn't help but look up to Xiao Yu again in his heart, but soon let it go. Xiao Yu is not only a skilled doctor, known as 'national hand', but also writes good calligraphy. By observing his handwriting, one can see the elegance and nobility that he possesses, which makes him stand out from ordinary people.

  After sitting down, Mr. Cai gestured to Xiao Yu to take out the wooden box. Xiao Yu casually took out the wooden box from his backpack and placed it on the table. Mr. Cai saw that Xiao Yu had simply put the wooden box in his backpack and didn't take any precautions when taking it out, and he wanted to say something! But thinking that Xiao Yu wasn't a professional in the antique business, he shook his head and remained silent. At the same time, he was also impressed by Xiao Yu's calm and composed demeanor. He knew that he had told Xiao Yu about the value of the wooden box before, and an ordinary person would have carefully wrapped it in three layers inside and out, afraid of bumping or touching it, but Xiao Yu had simply put it in his backpack.

  Mr. Cai immediately looked at the wooden box on the table, and a hint of fervor appeared in his eyes.

  Song Hu Shan put on a pair of gloves, picked up the wooden box on the table and examined it carefully. After a moment, Song Hu Shan put down the wooden box, took a deep breath, and looked at Mr. Cai, saying: "Old Cai, what do you think?"

  Mr. Cai, Mr. Bai and other experts of the Forbidden City, apart from appearing on shows like "Treasure Hunt", also help some wealthy people appraise items privately. Mr. Cai is a consultant for Song Hu Shan company, in other words, he is Song Hu Shan's private appraiser, known as "zhǎng yǎn" in the trade. Whenever Song Hu Shan acquires something, he usually invites Mr. Cai to take a look and each time there is a substantial share of profits.

  "Wow! I've seen it with Old Jin, Old Mao and Xiao Bai, and we all agree that it's a masterpiece from the early days of the Qing dynasty. How it was crafted into this shape is unknown, but it's definitely one-of-a-kind among existing golden nanmu wood antiques. Golden nanmu wood, also known as 'iron wood', has been famous for its difficulty in carving since ancient times. The dragon chair in the Forbidden City is already considered the most exquisite piece ever made, but compared to this wooden box...”

  Teacher Cai shook his head, his eyes shining brightly as he gazed at the wooden box, speaking in a gentle and measured tone.

  "Xiao brothers, Old Cai, have some tea!" Zhou Ruoying walked out with a teapot and several tea cups, pouring tea for Xiao Ye and Old Cai, interrupting the latter's words.

  Xiao Ye didn't care about that, he got drunk from drinking last night and slept for a whole night. This morning when he woke up, he didn't even bother to drink some water, his throat was parched. At this time, Zhou Ruoying brought over tea, without being polite, he gulped it down in one mouthful, after finishing the tea, he smacked his lips and said: "This tea is really fragrant!"

  Song Hu Shan smelled the tea as soon as Zhou Ruo Ying poured it, and was surprised to find that it was his only good tea. He couldn't help but look at Zhou Ruo Ying with a hint of surprise, then turned around to see Xiao Yu drinking it all in one gulp. Even Song Hu Shan, known for his elegance and generosity, twitched his face unnaturally twice, opened his mouth as if to say something, but restrained himself as the host. He only glared at Zhou Ruo Ying fiercely when no one was looking.

  This tea was only obtained by himself from the old man, usually he would only brew a pot when he really wanted to drink it, and now there is still half a catty left, which has been treasured by him all along.

  Zhou Ruoying seemed to have not seen Song Hushan glare at her, picked up the teapot and poured another cup for Xiao Ye, saying: "If it's fragrant, drink a bit more!"

  At this time, Song Hushan also felt that something was wrong. His wife was not a person who didn't know the weight of things, and she knew how much he cherished this tea. His wife came from a prestigious family and was a returned overseas doctor with a high self-esteem. Normally, when his friends came over, it was already good enough if she gave them a smile, let alone now taking out their best tea leaves and even pouring the tea herself, which made Song Hushan's heart full of curiosity. However, since the guest was still there, he didn't dare to ask.